Location: The Portland Conservatory of Music, 28 Neal St., Portland, ME
Barb Truex Project:
- Barb Truex (fretted dulcimers, baritone ukulele)
- Stephen Carpenter (percussion)
- Gary Chapin (diatonic accordion)
- Carl Dimow (flutes, electric guitar)
- Andrea Goodman (voice)
- Steve Gruverman (clarinets)
- MorganEve Swain (bass)
Photo: Tom Bloom
On October 28 at 7:30 pm I will be bringing together a one-time ensemble of some of my favorite musicians. The Barb Truex Project will present original compositions and improvisations as well as explorations through ethnic melodies and rhythms. Not one to be satisfied with a standard “jazz” ensemble, I am always looking to combine interesting musicians and instruments in ways that often defy categorization. My experiences with jazz, American folk music, traditions from the Balkans, Middle East, African and Latin music inform my writing and performing. This unique group of musical minds is sure to produce a unique musical experience.
Many thanks to Paul Lichter and Dimensions in Jazz for inviting me and to the Portland Conservatory of Music. Come enjoy the music in their newly renovated concert hall! Tickets are available here: https://pcm.org/event/barb-truex-project/
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- Barbara Truex is an improvising musician whose long career has included performing in groups whose focus ranges from French and Middle Eastern folk dance tunes to jazz-rock-folk fusion. A multi-instrumentalist, Truex performs on Appalachian dulcimer, tenor guitar, baritone and banjo ukuleles. An accomplished composer, she’s known in Maine for material created for theater productions; a selection of those compositions appear on her self-released album, Scene & Heard. She is currently a member of Le Bon Truc (traditional French music), The Maine Squeeze Accordion Ensemble (an eclectic blend of music from around the world), and Sidestep (an improvisational jazz-folk trio).
- Stephen Carpenter (percussion) has long been involved with the Middle Eastern music and dance scene in the Portland area. For many years he was the Music Director for the Dark Follies, a group that presented a variety show with live music, dance, juggling, sideshow acts, comedy, fire and flow. The Dark Follies were a mainstay of street performing in New England until 2019. Owner of Presumpscot Woodworks, he is also an accomplished woodworker. https://www.facebook.com/stephen.carpenter.16
- Gary Chapin was handed a button box 25 years ago and realized, “Oh, this is what I was supposed to be doing all along!” Since then he has been obsessed with squeezeboxes, French bal folk, and Breton dance. Le Bon Truc, a trio with Gary, Barb Truex, and Steve Gruverman, is one of the joys of his life. Gary’s wife, Sunshine, once said she fell for him “because of the accordion.” (Barb’s note: Gary is also an accomplished writer and jazz reviewer.)
- Carl Dimow (flutes, guitar) is an eclectic musician whose performances include jazz, klezmer, Brazilian choro, and a wide variety of improvised music. Current projects include the Carl Dimow Jazz Quartet, the Casco Bay Tummlers klezmer band, Choro Louco and various special projects such as this one. As a composer, Carl has created original music for his ensembles, plus music for theater and film. His Klezmer Suite for Flute and Classical Guitar won the National Flute Association New Music Competition in 2014 and has been performed on five continents. carldimow.com
- Andrea Goodman is a vocalist/composer specializing in intuitive sound healing. She has worked with IONE and Pauline Oliveros for 30+ years, singing in their opera, Io and Her and the Trouble With Him and, most recently, The Nubian Word for Flowers. Andrea was a performer with the original Meredith Monk Vocal Ensemble, 1974-1991, and can be heard on five of Monk’s albums. She was involved for several years with Maine’s Figures of Speech Theatre as music director, composer, actress/singer and partners with singer/composer Anna Dembska in Music of a New Frequency. She founded Ruby-Throated Spirit, Sanctuary, Voice Studio and Labyrinth, in Boothbay, Maine. www.rubythroatedspirit.com
- Steve Gruverman (woodwinds) has been an avid performer and student of many kinds of music, especially ethnic and folk dance music from Brittany to Bulgaria with many stops between and beyond. His main musical endeavors these days are The Casco Bay Tummlers, an eclectic klezmer quintet and Le Bon Truc, a trio rooted in folk dance music from many regions of France. Both of these bands are apt to experiment and improvise from these bases and he’s looking forward to taking that a step or two further with The Barb Truex Project.
- MorganEve Swain (bass), based in New England, has spent the past two decades playing music in studios, bars, venues, festivals and homes. She’s driven all over the US in a 12-passenger van, lived on tour busses, and flown over-seas to perform in Brazil and Europe. She currently fronts The Huntress and Holder of Hands, plays upright bass for The Devil Makes Three, works as a violin technician and collaborates with several musicians, writers and choreographers on various projects. https://morganeveswain.com/
Barb Truex Music 